Mound
"It burst violently from beneath the forest floor, scattering rotted timber and dead leaves in its wake. The largest of the many bulbous. squamous spherical nodes seemed to direct the bulk of the rest of the mass, lumbering with savage purpose. Everywhere it shook its drippy body, tiny particles of dust seeped into the air around it. Only when the clouds scattered and the torches were extinguished did we lose sight of the mysterious mound of slime and decay."
A Mound, or "Amorpho Mudl", is a forest-dwelling Ooze that feeds on carrion and plant matter. A larger version of a Glumi, these Ooze have colonized, forming into a living Mound. A large central node orchestrates the rest of the body as it searches for lichen and moss, rotted timber, and long-dead carrion, which provides essential nutrients for a Mound.
Mounds are normally docile creatures but often become violent when exposed to fire. It has a natural aversion to extremes of heat or cold temperatures and will often attack when it feels threatened.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Mound is a Medium Sized creature that is covered in tiny scales and flaps of hardened membrane. While it is still durable, these ridges have become more porous. Squeezing a flap emits a secretion, which the Mound uses to adhere to surfaces. While it has lost the ability to climb vertical surfaces due to its sheer mass, the Mound is able to create an incredibly sticky substance that fixes to its location. Its difficult to move a Mound once it has become stuck to something; only powerful solvents are able to remove the stickiness completely.
Mounds have a 2 black eyes, much like Slime and other Ooze, which it protects with its membranous outer layers. A Mound feeds by engulfing the food item beneath its wide body. The digestive enzymes are released at the base of the Mound. Two large pods (the structures of recessive Glumi formed from its creation) on either side of its oblong body are used for grasping and locomotion.
Biological Traits
The Mound is able to emit allergenic spores and scales from the flaps and ridges of its bulk. In seasons when it is actively searching for another Mound, it emits these spores, slightly changing their chemical composition to attract other Mounds. They will mask their presence, awaiting the approach of another Mound, seeking the origin of the pheromones. If living creatures breath the spores, it causes severe allergenic reactions and in the worse case, a terrible condition known as "Slimy Sickness".
Genetics and Reproduction
Glumi enter a process in their lives at approximately 3-5 yrs; they'll seek out other Glumi to create colonies. Once a Glumi has collected 3 or more other Glumi, it is considered a colony. 5-8 Glumi later, the colony becomes a Mound. The dominant Glumi assimilates the rest, fusing the colony into its bulk. The Mound continues to increases in size, averaging about 6-8ft in diameter. A Mound exists for 3-7 years, accumulating mass, until the instinct to seek another Mound becomes strong. Using pheromones from its scales, the Mound continues to seek another Mound until it is successful. The same process of colonizing occurs, with the dominant colony invading the other to form a "Moshiboom" or "Amorpho Mossi". The top half of a Moshiboom retracts into a large cube-like base, which is completely sticky, inside and out. When a Moshiboom reaches the end of its lifespan (usually 1-3 years later) it releases special Spores, forming new Glumi wherever they fall. Breathing the Spores of any of the "Amorpho Gumu" species is dangerous and may result in terrible physical conditions.
Growth Rate & Stages
Glumi expand from a Small to a Medium size once they have accumulated a Mound, which usually takes 3-5 years. The colony continues to grow for 3-7 yrs before it seeks another Mound through use of pheromones. At this point, the Mound has doubled in size, to 6-7ft in diameter. A Moshiboom is formed and lives for another 1-3 yrs before expiring at the size of 10-15ft. tall and 6-10ft. wide at the base.
Ecology and Habitats
A Mound is capable of roaming large territories at patient rates as it moves stealthily beneath brush and foliage. Its able to expand and contract its size slightly, but the ability to liquify as other Oozes has been lost by this species at this point. It will also dig burrows into rocky areas, blending into the outcroppings by spreading its bulky exterior. With leaves, branches, skeletal animals, and other things unfortunate to stick to its body, the Mound hides during the day, becoming particularly active around the evening and night. A Mound may be found next to rivers, marshes, and other places of flooded land, as these make ideal environments for this Ooze.
Dietary Needs and Habits
A Mound prefers to feed on living or decaying plant material, as well as the carrion matter of long-dead animals. Insects, reptiles, and other things that remain stuck to its form are folded and rolled beneath its mass until the Mound decides to consume it later.
Biological Cycle
Mounds are able to regenerate their bodies slowly over time. Photosynthesizing also provides it with energy, but it prefers to do this as a survival method alone. It may add forest material to its mass in the colder, wintry months, remaining dorman during these times.
Behaviour
When it comes to other smaller Glumi, Mound may act as natural defenders for them. Mound are naturally inclined to want to support the Glumi when resources are good; alternatively, they may ward away Glumi when resources are limited. The Mound, and members of the "Gumu" species are much more practical and intelligent than other Ooze, using ambush tactics and camouflage to lethal effect.
Additional Information
Social Structure
These Ooze share the odd trait of sociability compared to other forms of predatory Ooze. It isn't uncommon to find Glumi with Mounds or Moshiboom, but Mounds avoid the territories of Moshiboom. Those Ooze are prone to cannibalizing other Ooze.
Domestication
If a Mound can be appeased, it may leave neighboring farms and communities alone. Desperate Mounds often attack the farmer's fields if they aren't dealt with or diverted. As a general practice, farmers that live near Mounds may keep smokeless fires lit about their farm, as a means to ward off the Mound.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Much like their younger siblings, the Glumi, the adhesive substance of a Mound may be stored in a vial or container lined with a special reagent. This material is able to bond two objects together and it can be used in the production of Gluem-Lode Blocks, a form of construction material made with bonding the Gluem to rock and granite, similar to forming cement. Defensible, sturdy buildings can be made with the material provided by this sticky compound.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Mounds are found in temperate, wet environments, such as swamps, rivers, and forests.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Mounds have the same sensory abilities as other Ooze, except they are not affected by sources of bright light. Instead, the sight of a source of Fire is enough to incite a Mound to violence. While they aren't flammable and are resistant to fire due to their moist bodies, they simply have an aversion to sources of great heat or cold. They dry out quickly if left with no shelter under intense sunlight.
Mound have a higher sense of vibration compared to their Glumi brethren, able to detect presences within 25ft, instead of 20ft.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Glumi often form gangs of 3-5 and accompany Mounds or Moshibooms to feed on their leftovers. Those Ooze are much more aggressive than the timid Glumi. Otherwise, these creatures aren't known to form as Elemental or Arcane Ooze as other types of Ooze.
Civilization and Culture
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Types of camouflage are made with Gluem, imitating the Mound's natural ability to blend into its surroundings.
History
Mounds developed as a species when Glumi learned to colonize. Of the three Ooze distinctions of reproduction, the species Amorpho Gumu and sub-species of this family belong to the form, "Colonizers". These Ooze develop social behaviors and form units and gangs. Even Moshiboom are known to appear in pairs. While the dominant of the species forces the others to recess when combining, the recessive minds assimilate into the new form of the Mound or Moshiboom, becoming one new creature entirely. This differs from the other types of Oozes which reproduce through either budding asexually or entirely through division.
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